Stamford American (Stamford, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 14, 2004 Page: 5 of 8
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I By Brian Davidson
Editorial
October is National Domes-
tic Violence Awareness Month
and this is a good time to ad-
dress this very important issue.
Every 15 seconds a woman is
beaten in this country. I don’t
know about you but, that sta-
tistic sounds unbelievable to me.
We as a nation have a serious
problem with domestic vio-
lence and something has to be
done to change this problem.
This community is not immune
to domestic violence either, in
fact, in Jones and the surround-
ing counties there are between
20 and 30 cases a month that
are reported. The number of ac-
tual battered women must be
much higher than that because
only a small number of first
time victims ever report the in-
cident.
Most of us know of someone
that has been a victim of do-
mestic violence and many know
of family members that have
had to deal with it. Although
most of us know victims of
domestic violence it is never
talked about. It seems that no
one ever really finds out about
the abuse of someone until it
becomes a life threatening or
fatal situation. Why is it such a
hush-hush subject, crimes are
being committed here and
women need to know that they
can get help and not be
chastized for it.
Women have to be given the
peace of mind that these pitiful
excuses for men will be dealt
with swiftly in the courts and
pay a heavy price for raising a
hand against them. But it isn’t
that way yet. Historically, vio-
lence against women has not
been treated as a “real” crime.
This is evident in the lack of
severe consequences, such as
incarceration or economic pen-
alties, for men guilty of batter-
ing their partners. Rarely are
batterers ostracized in their
communities, even if they are
known to have physically as-
saulted their partners. Where is
the deterrent? Why do we treat
these crimes as “domestic dis-
putes” anyway? The last time I
checked a dispute means tb
quarrel or argue. Police are not
called to break up arguments,
we all have arguments, they are
called to stop physical violence.
These crimes of abuse must be
dealt with seriously as the
crimes that they are, and not
be minimalized because it hap-
pens in the home. These men
are predators plain and simple,
and their prey is women and
children. They must be dealt
with as such.
We need stiff penalties for
domestic violence offenders for
the women’s sake. It is a con-
fusing and difficult time for
these women in abusive rela-
tionships because they usually
don’t know what to do and
whether they should get help.
Once they find clarity in the
situation and arc ready to get
out they have to know that they
are going to be safe. There are
so many things on the victims
mind, while going through this,
that the last thing that she should
have to worry about is her
safety once she breaks away
from the relationship. These
men are predators plain and
simple, and their prey is
women and children. They
must be dealt with as such.
Children are always a victim
when there is violence in the
hpme. Children of all ages, in-
cluding infants, are aware when
domestic violence happens.
Children exposed to domestic
violence are in jeopardy,
whether they are directly in-
volved in the violence or sim-
ply present in the home. They
are at risk of physical, emo-
tional, and psychological harm
that can cause long-term dam-
age. Some children are physi-
cally injured - either intention-
ally or by accident. More than
3.3 million children witness
physical and verbal domestic
abuse each year, and they are
15 times more likely to be mal-
treated than in homes without
domestic violence. A child’s
exposure to the father abusing
the mother is the strongest risk
factor for continuing the gen-
erational cycle of violence.
Kids learn from their parents
both good and bad. Growing up
in a violent home is the stron-
gest predictor for a boy becom-
ing a batterer as a teen and adult.
This cycle of learned behavior
must be broken. Our only hope
is to start talking about domes-
tic violence - shed some light
on this dark subject. The more
it is talked about the more likely
it is that people will listen and
change their behavior and out-
look on the treatment of
women. Education is the only
way, in many cases, to prevent
a boy that grew up in an abu-
sive home from himself turn-
ing into an abuser. We need to
educate our youth and punish
those guilty of domestic abuse,
by focusing on these two ar-
eas, we can make a difference.
Focus On The Family
With Dr. James Dobson
Teen's Hard Tinies can Help Build Character
QUESTION: Our 15-year-old
daughter is getting some rough
treatment at the hands of her
peers these days. She wasn't in-
vited to a party given by a girl
who had been her best friend,
and she cried herself to sleep
that night. It's just tearing me
up to see her hurt like this. Will
this experience leave lifelong
scars on her mind?
DR. DOBSON: It’s all a mat-
ter of degree. Most teenagers
experience a measure of rejec-
tion like your daughter is expe-
riencing. They typically roll with
the punches and eventually get
beyond the discomfort. Others,
however, are wounded for life
by the rejection of those ado-
lescent experiences. I suggest
you give your daughter plenty
of emotional support, keep her
talking-and do what you can to
help her cope. I think she’ll get
her legs under her when the
pressure of these years has
passed.
i Let me address the larger is-
sue here. When we see our chil-
dren struggling with the teen ex-
perience or other frustrations,
it’s natural to wish we could
sweep aside the problems and
obstacles. Sometimes we have
to be reminded that the human
personality grows through ad-
versity. “No pain, no gain,” as
they say. Those who have con-
quered their problems are more
secure than those who have
I never faced them.
I learned the value of hard
times from my own experience.
During my seventh and eighth
grades. 1 lived through the most
painful years of my life. I found
myself in a social crossfire that
gave rise to intense feelings of
inferiority and doubt. And yet
those two years have contrib-
uted more positive qualities to
my adult personality than any
other span of my life. What I
learned through that experience
is still useful to me today.
Though it may be hard to ac-
cept now, your child needs the
minor setbacks and disappoint-
ments that come her way. How
can she learn to cope with prob-
lems and frustrations if her early
experiences are totally without
trial?
Nature tells us this is true. A
tree that’s planted in a rain for-
est is never forced to extend its
roots downward in search of
water. Consequently, it remains
poorly anchored and can be
toppled by even a moderate
wind. By contrast, a mesquite
tree that's planted in a dry desert
is threatened by its hostile en-
vironment. It can survive only
by sending its roots down 30
feet or more into the earth,
seeking cool water. But through
this adaptation to an arid land,
the well-rooted tree becomes
strong and steady against all
assailants. '
Our children are like the two
trees in some ways. Those who
have learned to conquer their
problems are better anchored
than those who have never
faced them.
Our task as parents, then, is
not to eliminate every challenge
for our children, but to serve
as a confident ally on their be-
half, encouraging them when
they are distressed, intervening
when the threats are over-
whelming, and above all. giv-
ing them the tools they need to
overcome the obstacles.
QUESTION: What is your
opinion of Nintendo and other
kinds of video games ? They 've
been claiming a big portion of
our son s time over the past few
months, and 1 ‘th getting uneasy
about it.
DR. DOBSON: Depending on
the particular games in question,
you may have a valid cause for
concern. Dr. Vince Hammond,
head of the National Coalition
on Television Violence, has de-
scribed the potentially harmful
nature of video games, espe-
cially those with violent themes.
Some observers have come to
the conclusion that these games
can become obsessive and en-
courage aggressive behavior.
There’s even evidence to sug-
gest that children between the
ages of 8 and 10 are 80 percent
more likely to fight with one
another after playing with them.
I’d advise you to put clear lim-
its on the amount of time your
son will be allowed to spend
with video games or the Internet
so that he won’t become ob-
sessed with them. Insist that he
avoid the violent ones alto-
gether. With realistic guidelines,
I think it’s possible to keep this
kind of activity under control
rather than letting it control
your son and your family.
Send your questions to Dr.
Dobson, c/o Focus on the Fam-
ily, P.O. Box 444, Colorado
Springs, CO 80903. These
questions and answers are ex-
cerpted from books authored
by Dr. James Dobson and pub-
lished by Tyndale House Pub-
lishers. Dr. Dq|uon is the chair-
man of the bo^Vfor Focus on
the Family, a nonprofit organi-
zation dedicated to the preser-
vation of the home. All rights
reserved. International copy-
right secured.
COUNTRY
DRUGSTORE
1517 Columbia St.
773-2441
State Capital Highlights
*
Bad drivers to pay more for violations
> * i .
By Mike Cox
Bad drivers are in for their
own form of October surprise.
The law’s been on the books
for more than a year, but Texas
dnvers with certain violations
on their driving record are be-
ginning to find that their actions
were more expensive than they
thought. Under the driver re-
sponsibility program adminis-
tered by the Department of Pub-
lic Safety, motorists convicted
of speeding or more serious
charges such as driving while
intoxicated, are going to have
to pay the state fees or’sur-
charges. If they don’t pay, their
driver licenses will be revoked.
The DPS had to hire an outside
vendor to handle the program,
but during (ktobcr and Novem-
ber, roughly 5,000 bad news
letters a day will be mailed to
drivers with moving violations
or DWI offenses on their
record. The costs range from
$100 for someone who accu-
mulates six points for misde-
meanor traffic violations during
a three-year period to $ 1,500 a
year for three years (or $4,500
total) for a second offense
DWI conviction. The only good
news from the violator’s stand-
point is that the vendor. Munici-
pal Service Bureau, will be able
to arrange monthly payments.
The money will go to fund hos-
pital trauma centers, emer-
gency medical centers and the
Texas Mobility Fund
Early voting starts Oct.
18 . Texas’ election law says
early voting begins on the 17th
day before an election and must
end on the fourth day before.
With the general election Nov.
2, early voting begins Oct. 18
and continues through Oct. 29.
You don’t have to offer any
excuse to vote early, just go to
wherever local election officials
have set up as the place for early
voting. Check your county
clerk’s office tor locations. To
vote by mail, a registered voter
still must declare a reason why
he or she can’t cast a ballot the
traditional way on election day.
For more information on early
voting, check the Texas Secre-
tary of State’s Web site at
www.sos.state.tx.us.
Dove hunter numbers...
Dove season continues for an-
other couple of weeks (to Nov.
.10 in the South Zone), though
sunset is coming earlier each
evening as fall gets into stride.
South Texas game warden Mike
Bradshaw of Carrizo Springs
says the season in his part of
the state, which began in mid-
September, has been OK
though birds don’t seem to stay
in one particular area very long.
There are still more dove than
hunters with some 392,000
seasonal shotgunners having
reported to the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department that they
bagged dove last year. Speak-
ing of numbers, Bradshaw says
some conservationists are pon-
dering what effect returning to
half-day hunts would have.
(Once upon a time, dove hunt-
ing did not start until noon each
day.) Despite the best efforts of
Bradshaw and other game war-
dens, some hunters use a full
day of hunting to illegally take
one limit in a morning hunt and
another in an afternoon hunt
But the limit per day is only 12
birds (15 in the North Zone),
not 24.
Check smoke detectors...
October is Fire Prevention
Month and fire safety experts
are urging homeowners to
make sure their smoke detec-
tors are working. Officials rec-
ommend testing smoke detec-
tors once a month and replac-
ing batteries at least oncO a year
The Senior athletic boys were introduced at Meet the Bulldog night. They are: Angel Alvarado,
Patrick Herman, Shiloh Halen, Stacy Oakley, Rode Owen, Stephen Reyes, Parag Sevak, Kolby
Templeton, Tanner Walters and Wesley Woodard.
NEU BRIEFS
ROTARY SUPPER-CXT 29
Rotary Club supper will be Oct.
29 before the Anson football
game. 5:00-7:(M) at the U.S. caf-
eteria.
NO ADULT FLU VACCINE
Stamford Texas Department of
State Health Services has NO
adult flu vaccine available.
INSTALLATION SERVICE-
OCT. 31
For Pastor Pete Weist-4:00 pm
(a), Bethel Lutheran Parish,
10625 NFM 6(8). Avoca, Sun-
day, October 31
OG DANCE4X I.14
Old Glory SeniorCitizen dance,
Oct. I4(^OGCC,7:(8)-I():(8).
Dress Halloween or Casual.
’uhlishcd every Thursday at The Stam-
ford American office. 113 I Mcllarg,
Stamford. Texas 79553. (325) 773-3621
Periodical postage paid in Stamford, Texas
79553. Slumford Leader since 1913. for-
merly the Slamford News and Stamford
Tribune (Established with the town of
Stamford 1900) consolidated kvith the
Slamford A merit an July I. 1951
Til
MEMBER
2004
Only letters bearing the writer’s signa-
ture and a telephone number where the
writer may be reached for verification
will be considered for publication The
Editor reserves the right to edit letters
and other submitted materials to con-
form to available space, good taste and
grammatical correctness
ADVERTISING DEADLINE
MONDAY at 5 P.M.
Pablliher........Becky Alambar
Editor...................Brian Davldapa
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Jones, Haskell & Stonewall
Counties.......................$18.00'*
Elsewhere.....................$20.00
Outside Texas..............$22.00
Cancelled Subscription* will not
I hank You for reading
I he Stamford American
Teakwood manor
“Largest Nursing Home In Jones County”
1003 Columbia • Stamford • (325)773-367/
At ROSS
50 Aware of
24 fourth estate
1 Pacific Ten sch.
51 Was left idle
25 Chimed
5 Indian com
54 Remains unmoved
26 Danish physicist
II) Yearning
58 Verge
Niels
14 Symbolic cross
59 Part of RED
27 Sailor's shout
15 Dancer de Mille
60 Pocket change
2X Enrage
16 _ En-lai
61 Stag, for example
29 Angler's basket
17 Acts mulish
62 Requirements
31 Cove
20 Craft of set-ft
63 ( andid
32 Attila’s horde
21 Demands payment i
DOWN
3.3 Pot contents I
22 < ircen spot in sand’’
1 Pakistani language
34 Religious statue
23 Join the band
2 Hair arrangement
36 Beetle type-
24 < JITspnng
3 t rademark image
37 Percolate
26 (io hekety-spht
4 Junk mail, mostly
3K Kick oul
29 Hanker for
5 Handbook
42 l ea-party host
30 Buckeye Stale
6 Suffering
43 < >re products
31 Dunne of "Magnificent
7 I ravel stopovers
44 < urrent
(Ibsession"
X Alphabet conclusion
45 Made crow sounds
32 Affirmative in Yokohama
9 Seven before XD
46 ( athode's counterpi
35 Stands firm
10 1 ime ol'glacial
47 Spree
i.39 < ereal grass
dominance
4X Stretch and pound
40 Natalie and Paula
II "We hold _ truths "
50 (inmm beast
41 "Do _ others as "
12 Bush appointee
51 I Ise scissor.
42 Eye shade
Powell'
52 Zenith
4 J Clam's cousin
1 3 Strumpet
53 Afterwards
45 Nightclub
1X Wait on a red light
55 Samovar
4x Held back
19 Eormer 1 HI head
56 < I wed
49 Baker or Ekbcrg
21Goad
57 Bridal vow
4
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Davidson, Brian. Stamford American (Stamford, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 14, 2004, newspaper, October 14, 2004; Stamford, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1186970/m1/5/?rotate=0: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Stamford Carnegie Library.